My Olympic Dreams

I hear ya.  I think anyone watching those athletes wish they could make their bodies do such impossible feats too.  The days before I would get my diagnosis I thought to myself...okay if I don't have MS I should run a marathon!  I have never run in my life and I don't even like to run.  But the thought of possibly losing my abilities to move made me want to get up and do just that.  And then I thought more and I came to the conclusion that I wasn't about to go running marathons no matter what happened next!  I would simply just go about attempting to enjoy what physical activities I do enjoy.  I still ride my bike and go walking and that is good enough for me. 

The thought of me on balance beam is hilarious!!!!  But as I attempt simple things like a yoga pose, my mind's eye pictures a graceful, limber young woman with such strength and beauty.  For a moment, I am a Nastia or Shawn. 

That is... until I fall or can't quite straighten out due to spastic muscles... or I begin shaking involuntarily.  For me, mirrors mean nothing.  It is what I see up here (touches forehead a couple of times) which matters.

Now I'm inspired to go strike a pose.  Tehe.

Hi Mandy - Thanks for helping us to re-live those spectacular moments.  I too enjoyed watching all of the events (not the least of which was trampoline!  When did THAT become an Olympic sport anyway?) and lived a bit through them myself.  

Your point about them hiding the pain and stress from years of practice really struck me.  What a challenge for all of us - to try and keep all of our aches and pains in check. Most of us want to present ourselves as being strong and vibrant and only in closed circles do we share the quiet details of what is really happening.

Why is that?  Why do we hide the truth so much?  Maybe it is so we don't complain so much and that we stand strong in the face of adversity.  Maybe it is because we are afraid of looking weak to others.  Maybe it is a bit of both.  

I just tell myself we all have different talents and that it takes lots of different kinds of people to make the world go 'round.

All the best, sue